ACTpei

Walk and Chew Gum?

Singing and Acting Workshop

There’s that old expression about how hard it is to do two things at once – ‘Why, I can’t walk and chew gum at the same time!’ That challenge happens on the stage: when drama and tunes come together in a musical, it means having to use both singing and acting talents in a rather special way.

ACT a community theatre is mounting a workshop for developing that blend of skills. It’s on Saturday morning 20 September, 9:00 till noon, at LM Montgomery school.

The leaders are Leon Cole and Jacqui Good, the dynamos of the Nova Scotia Gilbert and Sullivan society, who will be in town for a special benefit show ( “Cox and Box”) at Beaconsfield. ACT has taken the opportunity to have them – along with co-performers Tony Marshall and Duncan Miller – share their skills and their combined more-than-a-century of quality musical-theatre experience with the PEI stage community.

This is for directors and participants in any kind of musical theatre – school musicals, church pageants and cantatas, community drama and choir groups. It’s appealing to the dozens of people who have just joined the cast of ACT’s coming production of “EVITA”, of course, but this workshop is really for anyone in all kinds of theatrical music presentation. It will hone such practical skills as singing while moving, following the conductor while acting to the audience, keeping in time and tune with a group despite physical distance, clear diction, facial and body expressions to convey the meaning of lyrics, positioning on the stage for best singing effect. It’s an inexpensive lesson – just a $10 fee (no charge for ACT members).

For information and to ‘register’ to take part: robthomson @ pei.sympatico.ca or 628-6778